The Russian Imperial Yacht Standart, serving Emperor Nicholas II and his family, was in her time (late 19th/early 20th century) the
largest Imperial Yacht afloat.
After the Russian Revolution the ship was placed in drydock until 1936, when
she was converted to a minelayer. During World War II she
played a significant role in the defence of Leningrad.
The Imperial Yacht Standart was built by order of Emperor Alexander III of Russia, and
constructed at the Danish shipyard of Burmeister & Wain, beginning in 1893. She
was launched on 21 March 1895 and came into service early September 1896.
Standart was fitted out with ornate fixtures,
including mahogany panelling, crystal chandeliers, and other amenities that made the vessel a
suitable floating palace for the Russian Imperial Family. The ship was manned
and operated by a crew from the Russian Imperial Navy. During the reign of Nicholas II, Standart was commanded by a naval Captain,
although the official commander was a Rear Admiral. Her commander in 1914 was Nikolai Pavlovich Sablin.
In 1907, Standart ran aground on an uncharted rock off
the Finnish coast. Although damaged, the ship did
not sink and was repaired and soon returned to service. The Russian Imperial
Family was vacationing on the Standart during the Summer of 1914, when they
received the news of the assassination
of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo.
With the outbreak of World War I, Standart was placed in dry dock.
After the fall of
the Romanov Dynasty, Standart was stripped down and pressed into
naval service. The ship was renamed 18
marta (18 March), and later Marti. In 1932-1936, Marti was converted into a minelayer by the
Marti yard in Leningrad. During
the Second World War, Marti served in the Baltic, laying mines and bombarding
shore positions along the coast. On 23 September 1941, Marti was damaged in an air attack at Kronstadt, but later repaired and
continued service until the end of the war.
After the war, Marti was converted into a training ship and
renamed Oka in 1957. She continued serving in that
role until she was scrapped at Tallinn, Estonia, in 1963.
Thank you Merja for this nice card.
